On streaming-dating convergence: Music-mediated self-presentations on Tinder

Abstract

This study takes a cultural anthropological approach to address the use of music taste as an instrument of self-presentation on online dating platforms by examining the partnership between Spotify and Tinder, which not only allows Tinder users to pick an anthem from Spotify’s catalog, but also displays a list of “top artists” based on data aggregated through their activity on Spotify. Using Cheney-Lippold’s formulation of the “measurable type” and Bucher’s notion of “conscious clicking” as foundational frameworks, this paper offers the term “conscious listening” to explore the ways that users play with their music taste-based identities on Tinder. In order to better theorize this phenomenon, a wide array of thinkers ranging from communications, sociology, and data/platform studies are coalesced along with the results of in-depth interviews with 10 Tinder users to analyze the recent convergence of music streaming and social dating platforms.

What My Music Says About Me: Re-evaluating the ‘Badge’ Function of Music in the Context of Streaming

“…Regarding the constant presence and availability of music, Fuentes et al (2019) investigate the practice of soundtracking, which sees music listening as a dispersed practice that enriches or enables other integrative practices: commuting, walking, running, working, hanging out, driving (Hagberg & Kjellberg, 2017). In terms of the presentation of self, Kang (2021) has shown how the Spotify integration on Tinder allows users to convey information about themselves through a chosen 'anthem song', as well as providing a list of their most listened-to artists, both of which can be manipulated to achieve a particular goal. Knowing that this data could be distorted, participants also evaluated and judged the authenticity of other users' projected music preferences.…”

“…Starting with subcultural studies coming out of post-war Britain (Hebdige, 1979) to more contemporary accounts of youth styles and identities (Bennett, 1999;Hesmondhalgh, 2005;Robards & Bennett, 2011). The formation of social identity through music has also been discussed from a psychological perspective (Abrams, 2009), as well as in the context of social interaction (Larsen et al, 2009) and in online settings (Hagen & Lüders, 2017;Kang, 2021). Music has been regarded as a tool for identity, a technology of the self (DeNora, 1999(DeNora, , 2000 and extensive work has been done on musical preferences and their relation to identity and personality (Rentfrow et al, 2009;Rentfrow & Gosling, 2003;Schwartz & Fouts, 2003).…”

Love songs and serenades: a theoretical review of music and romantic relationships

“…Music preferences are further being used in dating platforms such as Tinder, where users can showcase their personalities by selecting a specific song or, through Spotify integration, displaying their top artists based on listening patterns. This act of presenting one’s musical tastes serves as a powerful form of cultural communication, signaling to others “what kind of person” one is and potentially attracting like-minded individuals ( Kang, 2023 ).…”

‘I’m also slightly conscious of how much I’m listening to something’: Music streaming and the transformation of music listening

“…Music streaming services can transform elements of personalized listening into a seemingly public activity. While the advent of sound recording enables music performances to become transposed into ‘back regions’ like bedrooms and other secluded spaces of the home (Arditi, 2018: 303), streaming cultures enable music reception to function as a way of conveying a listener’s identity to networked audiences (Kang, 2023; Nag, 2018). Music streaming technologies, therefore, can render music reception as part of a digital ‘interaction order’ in which privatized music and its associated ‘information preserve’ (Goffman, 1971: 38) or ‘personal information’ (Zerubavel, 1982) are used to divulge knowingly or inadvertently a user’s music listening activity to communicate dimensions of the self (Hagen, 2016).…”